The thoughts and musings of a Roman Catholic in the Archdiocese of Washington.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

MCC and the "Rain Tax"

I don't know why the Maryland Catholic Conference (MCC) is crying about the Stormwater Fee aka "rain tax."A short time ago, the MCC sent out an email to all Catholics asking them to write to their legislators opposing this tax. They stated that many non-profits, such as Catholic Church, would be hit hard by this tax and basically have to reduce the number of services they provide to the community.Now, I normally would support this effort and would have helped to advertise this. However, this time I did not.Why? In 2007 there was a proposal in Maryland to increase the "progressive" tax. The MCC stated that this was a good thing, as we need to take care of the poor and those who are less fortunate. This also included the environment.I argued that by increasing taxes in this manner, it would (1) decrease the amount that I have to give to charities; (2) change the debate that the state should be the key provider of support and not individuals; and (3) if you give into them on this, then there will be no stopping the state (or other government entity) from increasing taxes. Fast forward six years and since the "rain tax" already hits homeowners, who to you think they have decided to hit next? Businesses and non-profits, like the Catholic Church.I have argued, to no avail, a long time ago that when the Church does this, it will come back to bite them big time. It took seven years, but it has.

The Archdiocese of Washington will have to make some tough decisions but the toughest will be: "What do we cut and how much more can we ask of our parishioners, who are paying higher and higher taxes?"(And as an aside, I wonder how many Catholic priests, religious and those who work for the Archdiocese voted for Democrat Party members. I guess you got what you asked for, didn't you.)

Personally, I say cut the Spanish Center and redirect those funds to our Catholic Schools. Reduce the amount spend on Catholic Charities and redirect those funds to our Catholic Schools. Increase the amount on the Newman Center in GW (that will drive the homosexuals really crazy).Catholic Schools get parents involved and makes them part of the larger parish.

I can't agree with you about cutting the Spanish Center and directing those funds to Catholic schools. I agree with you about Catholic schools getting parents involved and making them part of the larger parish. I think a school can lead to the growth of the parish. We all have to realize that the Church of Washington has spent millions of dollars on Catholic schools, the wrong Catholic schools. The Church has emphasized the voucher program to the nth degree, and that has been a huge mistake. We have plenty of money, but we are directing those funds to a handful of failing schools which have practically no Catholic students. The Church has no business doing this, and there is no benefit to our faith in continuing to throw good money after bad.

About Me

A Roman Catholic, who attends Mass, supports the local Catholic school and various Catholic charities, and is even involved in running a parish organization.
If you have any thoughts about my postings or maybe have issues you might like to see discussed, then drop me a line at awashingtondccatholic@gmail.com.